Having a positive self-image is crucial for children and teens as it helps them to positively develop both socially and emotionally. Self-image impacts behaviour, relationships and a person’s overall wellbeing, it is especially important for young people as they form their outlook on life and relationships for the first time. When people struggle with poor self-image it can have serious consequences on their academic and social life as well as their mental health. This blog will explore the impacts of low self-image, what causes it, and how parents, teachers, and counsellors can support children who are affected.
What is Low Self-Image?
Low self-image means that a person has a negative perception of themselves, their looks, or their abilities. People with low self-image believe that they are not good enough and this can be expressed with feelings of self-doubt, insecurity, and low levels of confidence in themselves. The self-image of children and teens can be strongly influenced by their friendships, their life at both school and at home as well as social media exposure. When young people navigate growing up around these influences their self-image develop either positively or negatively.
Common Causes of Low Self-Image in Children and Teens
Children and teens’ self-image can be heavily impacted by hearing negative messages about themselves from external influences such as their classmates, teachers, family or through social media. Even small comments can have a big effect on them as they are developing their opinions on themselves based on their relationships with others during the earliest parts of their lives.
- Bullying and Exclusion: Sadly, bullying is a common cause of low self-image in young people. Bullying, whether it is verbal, physical or social exclusion, has deep effects on children and their self-perception. For teens, pressure to fit it and feeling rejected by their peers is a major issue that can severely impact how they see themselves. Tips for teenagers to handle bullying can be found on our blog.
- Family Dynamics and Life at Home: As they are growing up children will look towards their parents and other older members of their families for guidance and support. If children are under a lot of pressure at home and are facing more criticism than praise, they can internalise these feelings and develop a negative self-image. Additionally, trauma such as neglect or abuse will heavily impact their self-worth.
- Social Media Influence: Nowadays social media has massive effects on the self-image of young people, especially teenagers, as they are seeing constant imagery of people considered to be ‘attractive’ and ‘beautiful’ who have completely unachievable looks. Teens can begin to feel inadequate and compare themselves to people they see online which can harm their perception of themselves.
- Body Image: One of the impacts of social media exposure for teenagers, especially girls, can be developing body image problems and becoming overly critical of their appearances. This can also happen to teenagers because of the changes they go through during puberty.
- Struggling with School: Receiving lots of criticism when they are struggling academically can cause young people to feel different and separate from their peers. Children who feel that they are performing worse than their classmates can go on to develop a negative self-perception of themselves in other parts of their lives outside of school.
What are the Impacts of Low Self-Image on Children and Teens?
If a child has low self-image they might focus on minor flaws or small. mistakes they have made. It becomes more difficult for them to recognise what they are good at or the positive parts of themselves.
- Mental Health: Having a low self-image leaves children at a higher risk for being affected by mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and other disorders. More and more children are being affected by mental health struggles, learn more about why on our previous blog post.
- Performance at School: When children and teens don’t believe in themselves this can cause them to not try as hard and have lower motivation to succeed at school. This attitude then contributes to less achievements which will perpetuate their negative beliefs about themselves.
- Less Socialising: Their low self-image can cause them to isolate themselves from their friends and family because they feel they deserve to be excluded and rejected, further contributing to the cycle of loneliness and low self-esteem.
- Dangerous Behaviour: In serious cases, struggling with self-image can lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms in teens – such as self-harm and substance abuse.
How to Help Children and Teens Build a Healthier Self-Image
If you notice these behaviours in your child or a young person that you know you should try to start a conversation with them about how they feel, this can be difficult for both you and them, but once you know how they are feeling it is easier to help them and could take a weight off of their mind.
- Starting Conversations: Checking in on them while doing an activity together could help in order to make them feel more relaxed during the conversation. Don’t be disheartened and give up if they don’t open up the first time you try, as they are having a difficult time and may be feeling very anxious about themselves.
- Listen and Understand: It can help to avoid trying to fix problems straight away as this can put too much added pressure onto them. Instead empathise with them and let them know that you understand their feelings.
- Be a Role Model: As they grow up, children learn a lot from the adults in their lives. Ensure that you are promoting positive self-talk and self-love to them by being kind to yourself. Additionally, taking part in self-care with them both as they grow and when they are struggling can help them to prioritise these activities.
- Encourage Self-Care: Being active, getting enough sleep, and eating regularly are all small things that can maintain mental wellbeing and improve their relationship with their bodies. As well as this, journaling and practicing mindfulness strategies are methods they can use to improve their mental health.
- Seek Professional Help: Help from a professional counsellor or therapist can be effective to start to challenge a child or teen’s negative beliefs about themselves with therapy strategies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
It is important to encourage children and teenagers to be themselves, by showing them that who they are is valuable and they do not need to be perfect. When needed, always seek help from professionals for young people who are struggling.
Little Lives UK provides free one-on-one counseling sessions for children and young people in schools through the “Someone to Talk To” campaign. Discover how to access these vital services and support the initiative today.
References
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/parents-a-z-mental-health-guide/self-esteem/
https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/information/young-people/well-being/resources/self-esteem
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/self-esteem/tips-to-improve-your-self-esteem/
